Day: March 1, 2010

The feeling has been from many National Football League experts that teams will not be spending all that much money in free agency.

Well here is the reason why.

According to to the Boston Globe, the problem with many free agents contracts is going to be the disbursement of bonus money.

A contract signed by a player cannot rise more than 30 percent from the previous year.

That means with no football in most likely in 2010 teams cannot front load contracts with bonus money, because it would then exceed the 30 percent rule.

Most likely the way teams will structure deals is that they will include a provision stating that if there is no football in 2011 that year will by voided, which means 2012 cannot be more than 30 percent of 2010, or the contract will get pushed back by one year.

According to the report, left tackle Alex Barron can be signed for a mere second round draft pick.

So, why are they giving up on a guy that was a 16 game starter last year at left tackle and three years before that a starter at right tackle?

Simple, it is about money.

The Rams last year took offensive tackle Jason Smith second overall and signed him to six year $61.775 million with $33 million guaranteed, which is really a five year deal as the sixth year is voidable.

That means Smith is making in excess of $10 million a year, which is starting left tackle money.

Starting right tackles get paid far less as they are not as important as the left tackle.

In order to resign Barron they would have to pay him left tackle money as well.

No team can justify having two tackles being paid in excess of over $10 million a year.

Also, the Rams have a history of hitting right tackles in the middle of the draft.

With this year being deep at the offensive tackle position they can easily do that.

However, acquiring Barron would be a bad idea as he was the most penalized left tackle last year.

Yes, he was penalized more than current left tackle Demetrius Bell.

Giving up a second round pick and paying him more than $10 million a year when he is a penalty machine, according to ESPN, would be a terrible move.

They would actually be better off with Bell as he isn’t getting paid that much and has a lot more upside.